A couple of months ago, I wrote, in this column, about the URJ Biennial that I attended in December and what an extraordinary experience it was.  The national biennial takes place every other year, and on the in between years, each region of the URJ holds its own biennial.  The regional biennials are smaller in scale than the national ones, but they offer opportunities for the clergy and lay leadership in each region to get to know one another in a more intimate setting.  In the fall of 2006, I attended the Northeast Regional Biennial in Springfield, Massachusetts, and I was privileged to study alongside many rabbis and cantors from New England.  One of the rabbis I got to know at this regional biennial was Joseph Meszler.  Rabbi Meszler and I had some fabulous, in-depth conversations regarding Jewish thought and practice, and we both came out of the workshops with a better understanding of the subject material, as well as a better understanding of each other.

Last spring, when I took part in an Outreach workshop for clergy in Newton, I was, again, seated with Rabbi Meszler, and we took up our conversations just where we had left off.  Once again, I was very impressed with his intelligence, his sincerity and his breadth of knowledge about the subjects at hand.

Through the magic of Facebook, Rabbi Meszler and I have continued our friendship online, and Rabbi Miller and I have invited him to speak as a part of our Continuing Education program.  On Thursday evening, May 8th at 7:30pm, Rabbi Meszler will be coming to Temple Beth Am to speak about his new book, Witnesses to the One: the Spiritual History of the Sh’ma (Jewish Lights Publishing, 2006).  Rabbi Joseph Meszler is the spiritual leader of Temple Sinai of Sharon, Massachusetts.   He has also authored Gifts for the Poor: Moses Maimonides’ Treatise on Tzedakah, (College of William & Mary, 2003) and his next book,  A Man’s Responsibility: a Jewish Guide to Being a Son, Partner in Marriage, Father, and Leader,  is forthcoming from Jewish Lights Publishing.

Rabbi Meszler has served at Washington Hebrew Congregation in Washington, DC, as an instructor during the summer of 2002 at the Smithsonian Institution Resident Associates program on the DC National Mall, and as a resident chaplain in Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital, Drake Rehabilitation Center, and the Pauline Warfield Lewis Center for Mental Health.  Living in Sharon, Rabbi Meszler is married to Rabbi Julie Zupan, and they have two children.

I encourage as many of you as possible to attend this wonderful program.  There is no admission fee for the workshop (although Rabbi Meszler’s book will be available for purchase) and I guarantee that you will come away with a new understanding and appreciation for our prayers.